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Connecting the trails; Town looks to partner with Plainville

By Lisa Capobianco
Staff Writer
The Southington Town Council voted in approval Monday night to hire an engineering firm with the town of Plainville for the design of the Rails to Trails pathway, which is part of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail.
Currently, a nine mile gap exists from northern Southington through Plainville into southern Farmington. Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback said the project costs a total of $159,500, and the Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency (DEEP) has proposed to pay 80 percent of the costs. He also said the Farmington Valley Trails Council and the Plainville Greenway Alliance have proposed to cover 10 percent of the costs, which leaves the remaining 10 percent to be split evenly between Plainville and Southington.
“With our investment of $8,000, we could make continued progress,” Brumback said. “We are great neighbors with Plainville.”
Plainville Town Manager Robert Lee said the Plainville Cuncil will vote for the contract at Monday’s meeting. Lee said he feels confident that the council will vote unanimously in favor of hiring the engineering firm to make progress with the project.
“We have been working toward trying to get a definitive plan” Lee said. “It is a wise use of money for a common cause to link Southington and Plainville together.”
In Southington, the trail runs 4.1 miles in length from the Cheshire/Southington town line to Hart Street near Curtiss Street. Brumback said the town has plans with Solvents Recovery Service (SRS) to connect the portion of the trail from Curtiss Street to Lazy Lane. Brumback added that SRS will focus on remediating the property for environmental issues before starting the work on the trail.
Brumback said he feels excited to take the next step in the Rails to Trails project.
“This is fantastic,” Brumback said. “It will be a great use of the property.”